Upon a Shooting Star
by Papilio.Ageha
Summary: Wishes... It's said that they would come true if one wished hard enough. Never that Kurapika imagined her unspoken wish would be granted 'that way'. fem!Kurapika. Chain Pair (KuroKura), slight Loyal Pair (KuroPaku).
1. To Propose a Deal

**Greetings.**

**This is my fourth story in this fandom and the second story which has Kurapika as its main character. Unlike my another work (Cat's Eye), this story will be relatively short (I hope) and focus more on Kurapika. I hope you'll enjoy this piece of work. Feel free to drop any sort of review afterwards. Concrits and corrections are always welcomed.**

* * *

**Upon a Shooting Star**

**Summary:** Wishes... It's said that they would come true if one wished hard enough. Never that Kurapika imagined her unspoken wish would be granted 'that way'.

**Pairings:** Chain Pair (KuroKura) and slight Loyal Pair (KuroPaku).

**Warning:** Kurapika is a girl here, because this author believes so.

**Timeline and Setting:** This fic follows the manga while the description of the characters (clothes, hair, etc.) will be made based on 1999 anime. Kurapika's side story might be taken into consideration, but not the movie.

**Disclaimer:** Hunter x Hunter and its characters belong their respective owner, Togashi Yoshihiro-sensei.

**Extra Disclaimer:** xxxHolic belongs to CLAMP. This fic isn't a crossover, but some parts of it are inspired by xxxHolic. Don't be surprised if this fic smells CLAMP-ish.

* * *

**I**

**To Propose a Deal**

Mirror never lied; it always reflected the truth... or that was what a certain someone believed. They raised a delicate hand toward a half-body sized mirror. They wiped its dewy surface and stared at a blurry image of a person in it. A reddish face framed by wet goldilocks, with droplets of water at the fringes' end like pearl ornaments, and a pair of blue orbs that stared back at them. Those eyes were identical as theirs, as the figure in the mirror was no other than their own reflection.

"You are really a girl, aren't you?"

Kurapika shifted gaze and glared at a reflection of a semi translucent figure that stood behind her. She closed her eyes for a second before she snatched a white towel hanging beside the sink, wrapped it around her body, and turned away from the mirror.

"And you really understand what _privacy_ means, don't you?" she replied sarcastically as she exited the steamy bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

"It can't be help. I'm _bond _to you." the semi translucent figure said nonchalantly as she walked _pass_ the door.

"But it doesn't mean you need to follow me _everywhere_." Kurapika grunted in depression as she threw her body onto the bed and covered her eyes with the back of her right palm. "And there's no point of keeping company your murderer, anyway. You can't haunt me. I'm not scared of you."

The semi translucent figure, the ghost, tilted her head. "Well, at least it gives you a headache."

Kurapika flinched hearing that statement. It was true. She had been suffering from a terrible headache ever since the ghost the woman called Pakunoda had appeared before her. It wasn't like Pakunoda haunted her like ghost in horror movies though. Let alone giving her nightmare or cursing her, the remnant of that woman was only... _being there_... stood silently in the corner of the room, as if it was the only thing she could do. Sometimes she spoke, just like what happened moments ago, but then fell into silent again while watching over Kurapika closely with a gaze that could bore trough her skull.

Kurapika hated to admit it, but Pakunoda's presence alone could drive her to the edge of insanity. It always reminded her that she had killed someone. It suffocated her every time she remembered that she had killed two persons with her very hands.

_She was a murderer._

Pakunoda watched Kurapika tossed around restlessly in her bed. That girl hugged herself, her nails dug deep in her skin. Fresh blood dropped onto the white towel, but Kurapika didn't seem to realize it. Perhaps she couldn't feel the physical pain as her soul pained more. The price for taking someone's life was too heavy for her.

Pakunoda closed her eyes and sighed. "Why don't you just stop? Chasing after the Spider..."

Kurapika's eyes glowed red as she glared at the older woman. "And forget about what you and your companions have done to my people? Never!" she hissed.

It was impossible.

Deep down, Kurapika knew she would never win against them. It was impossible for her to completely exterminate the Spider. It was impossible, yet she would still do it. She would do everything she could, as far as she could, to avenge her clan. She would never stop. She would struggle and keep fighting until she died.

Kurapika's wasn't strong, but her determination was. She was even ready to offer her soul to a demon if it could help her take her revenge even just a bit.

And Pakunoda feared it.

It was _not_ impossible.

Last time the Kuruta had managed to capture Chrollo. Indeed, at that time he had let his guard down and Kurapika had been lucky for that, but it had shown how much her determination could lead the Spider into destruction. The Spider's death was the least thing she wanted. She couldn't bear seeing her friends, with whom she shared a bond thicker than blood, being consumed by the Kuruta's hatred. She couldn't let them die, especially Chrollo. Was there a way to save everyone?

"My people won't come back even if you kneel down and beg for apology." Kurapika said bitterly. She knew they wouldn't come back either even if she killed the Spider. It would only fulfill her thirst of revenge. "They won't come back no matter how much I wish for it."

One couldn't bring the death back, but what about Pakunoda? Didn't she _literally_ come back, even only as a ghost?

There must be a reason why she couldn't move on to the underworld yet, Pakunoda mused. And there must be a reason why she had gotten returned to Kurapika's side, not her comrades' or Chrollo's. At first she had thought that it had been because of the chain that had connected her and the other girl... but then what about Uvogin? Why hadn't he become a ghost as well even though they had died in the same way?

Maybe... maybe there was another reason why all of this happened. And what if the reason was... because she knew that there was a way to answer Kurapika's wish?

"If the people of your clan hadn't died, would you stop chasing after us?"

Kurapika widened her eyes for a moment before she regained her coldness back and deadpanned. "They are dead, and that's that."

"What if there is a way to bring them back?"

"That's ridiculous."

"No, it's not."

"Nothing can bring back dead people to live! If there was such a thing then why didn't you use it to save yourself!"

Kurapika was a second too late to realize what she had just said. She covered her mouth with her fingers and looked away. She had just said something unnecessary. She had indirectly proclaimed to the one standing before her had, after all, dead.

"I can't do anything anymore. I'm just a ghost; nothing more than remnant of the dead. I have no power left within me." Pakunoda replied solemnly. "But believe me, Kurapika, there is really a way and you can use it, because you're still alive."

Honestly Kurapika couldn't believe there was such a thing. It was really absurd. Even the strongest Nen could never completely resurrect a dead person. But why did Pakunoda speak as if it was really possible? The she-ghost sounded so serious to the point it made Kurapika unable to tell whether she was saying the truth or just mocking on her.

"What it is?" She asked in doubt. "What's that miracle-like way you're referring to?"

"Wish. It's said that wishes would come true if one wished hard enough."

* * *

An impossible wish would never come true no matter how much one wished for it. Wishing alone couldn't help anything. Only the weak depended on such a hopeless thing called _wish_. Nothing would come true if one only stood still and dreaming for something that would never happen...

Kurapika believed it that way ever since her tears had dried.

And that was why she was really surprised to find herself buying Pakunoda's words that she could get her people back only by _wishing_. Not to mention that she let that woman, or the ghost of that woman to be precise, lead her to her swear enemy's lair: Ryuuseigai.

Ryuuseigai. The City of Shooting Star. 'What a cliché name for a hometown where the world's cruelest criminals hailed from,' Kurapika sneered. When one heard the name of _shooting star_, they would usually think of nice things like _wish upon a shooting star _or anything related to dreamy fairy bedtime stories. It really made no sense why the founder of that place had given such a name to a place which had been originally functioned as a dump.

"Do you know a tradition from the east where people make a wish by writing it on strips of paper?" Pakunoda asked out of the blue when the two of them was walking toward the northern side of the city from the outside.

"It's a festival which is annually held on 7th of July in Jappon, right? I believe it's called Tanabata." Kurapika's brows furrowed as she thought about why Tanabata had something to do with the place where they were now. _Ryuusei_ from Ryuuseigai literally meant _shooting star _while Tanabata, or _the evening of the seventh_, was an event to celebrate the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi, which was represented by Vega and Altair. Despite the difference of tradition and culture between Ryuuseigai and Jappon, where Tanabata originated from, both were related to making a wish and star.

"Yes, that one. However, the festival is supposed to be held according to the lunisolar calendar, not Gregorian, so July 7 isn't quite right."

"Is that so?"Kurapika said nonchalantly. "You're surprisingly knowledgeable about this kind of thing."

Pakunoda glanced at the girl beside her, who seemed to prefer wearing male's clothes for this occasion, before she replied. "I once read about it in one of Chrollo's book."

Kurapika twitched hearing that name. "And what does that certain book of Chrollo Lucilfer have something to do with me, if I may ask?"

Pakunoda sensed suppressed anger in the Kuruta's voice and couldn't help but think that it was amusing. To think that a girl would hate _that_Chrollo Lucilfer until that extent...

"Well, according to the information in that book, and my own calculation, today is the seventh day of the seventh lunar moon. The real Tanabata." She replied with a poker face.

"So you're saying we're going to celebrate Tanabata here? In Ryuuseigai?" Kurapika asked, still slightly annoyed.

"No. Not really _celebrate _it." Pakunoda's semi-translucent, supposed-to-be blonde hair swayed as she shook her head. "It's just that there's also a secret power that lies beneath the Ryuuseigai that coincidentally similar to Tanabata." She stole another glance at Kurapika before adding, "I read that in other book of _his_."

Kurapika huffed as she heard Pakunoda mentioned that certain someone again. It annoyed her seeing how someone could think highly of that heartless, coldblooded bastard. It annoyed her more when she thought of how the woman next to her had sacrificed herself for someone like him. She massaged the bridge of her nose. No, this wasn't the right time to think about it...

"I take that there's an oh-so-great power in this city that able to grant even the most impossible wish? And it'll only happen on the seventh day of the seventh month of lunisolar calendar?" Kurapika deduced while still massaging the bridge of her nose.

"The seventh evening of the seventh month of lunisolar calendar... and that's once in every seven years." Pakunoda corrected in matter-of-factly tone.

'Great.' Kurapika mentally jeered. It meant they only had one chance in a lifetime, as she didn't want to wait for another seven years. She sighed. Well, it's not like she had been expecting much from this though. She was just getting along in Pakunoda's plan.

They then walked in silence for another thirty minutes until their destination finally came into sight. There was a complex of ruins in the middle of the dessert. Kurapika followed the other woman entering the place that looked like an abandoned housing complex. The houses were badly damaged, the stone paths were broken, the trees had dried up, and there was no sign of any living being in that place. She rubbed her upper arms. The air was really chilly, and it made that place eerier.

"Here we are." Pakunoda said as she stopped in front of a ruined pavilion in the center of the complex. It was a small building which was supported by four stone pillars instead of walls. Half of the stone roof had collapsed onto the dusty floor. It seemed like it had been years since the last time people had visited that place.

Kurapika raised a brow. "So?"

"There's a hidden temple beneath." Pakunoda explained briefly.

"And how do we get there?"

"There's a trap door somewhere in this place."

Kurapika gave the she-ghost oh-you're-so-not-gonna-ask-me-to-find-it-among-the se-junks look, which the latter replied with a shrugged and I'm-a-ghost-I-can't-touch-anything look. The Kuruta sighed in defeat. She raised her right hand and conjured the dowsing chain on her ring finger. It was really fortunate of her that she still had it and didn't have to crawl on the dirty floor.

She closed her eyes and concentrated her mind. Her Nen flowed from her finger to the ring, then to the chain, and finally to the iron pendulum. It froze for several seconds before it started to move on its own as if it had been pulled by an unknown magnetic force.

"There." She slowly opened her eyes and looked at the direction where the pendulum pointed at.

"So that's dowsing, eh?" Pakunoda commented as she tapped her chin. There was a slight interest reflected in her voice. "That's quite handy."

Kurapika ignored the woman and walked toward one of the pillar, which the dowsing chain had pointed at before. She moved some stones that blocked the flooring around the pillar and swept the dust with her bare hand. She knocked the floor on several random spots. At one point, the floor produced a different sound. She palpated the cold stones around that spot and found one stone which were smoother than the rest.

"Use your nen." Pakunoda ordered.

Kurapika did what she was told to. She focused her aura on the tip of her fingers and transferred it to the smooth stone. The stone lit up and the ground began shaking. She quickly stood up and jumped back. The floor moved by itself and formed a crack, which was large enough for a person to go in. She looked at Pakunoda and the latter gave her a nod. She took a deep breath and jumped into the abyss.

The abysm wasn't as deep as she had thought. She could barely see anything but she was sure that it was only about two or three meters depth. She blinked several times to adjust her eyes to the darkness. The first thing she saw was Pakunoda, who had just gracefully landed beside her. It wasn't hard to spot the she-ghost as the semi-translucent figure glowed slightly like phosphor. The next thing she saw after her eyes adapted to the darkness was her surroundings. She was now in a hole of which size was about the same as the pavilion above, and there was a narrow passage on the right side of her.

"Follow me." Pakunoda said as she stepped toward the passage. Kurapika nodded and followed her.

"You look quite familiar with this place." the Kuruta noted.

"I've been here several times." Pakunoda said.

"Then why didn't you just tell me where the entrance was?" Kurapika asked in annoyance.

"Well," Pakunoda shrugged. "The entrance changes each time someone enters this place."

"I see..." Kurapika muttered. The entrance could be anywhere within the pavilion. That explained why the room beneath had the same size. It was just like the entrances to Trick Tower back then during the Hunter Exams.

The passage was straight and it led them downward, (presumably) to the north. The length was about two hundred meters. At the other end of the passage was a larger room with stone walls. The size was about ten times the first room and approximately five meters in height. It was a hall. There were a lot of stone pillars; some of them had crumbled or broken into two. There was a platform at the front of the hall. There were four smaller pillars which support a stone roof. On second thought, the platform looked similar to the pavilion above. It was possible that the two had been identical.

Kurapika tilted her head. "That's..?"

"Once in seven, the first shooting star of the seventh evening will guide a wish cross the stream of fate." Pakunoda said as she stared blankly at the stage. "That was what written in the book. Well, more or less."

"What should I do to get that so-called shooting star's guidance?"

"Just stood in the middle of the stage... and pray... like everyone always does when they make a wish."

"Will it really work?" Kurapika asked in doubt.

"It depends. If you believe, then it will." Pakunoda paused for a while. Her mind seemed to trail to somewhere else. "I've proven it by myself... seven years ago."

Kurapika whipped her head and looked at Pakunoda. "Really?"

Pakunoda looked into the Kuruta's eyes for a while before she nodded and smiled sadly. "It didn't turn out exactly like what I had expected beforehand, but, well, I say it was still granted..." she turned her face and looked at the stage with a longing expression. "In one way or another."

In the end it was just like what people usually called _wishing upon the shooting star_ and Kurapika thought that it was ridiculous. Nevertheless, it still worth a try. Pakunoda looked like she wasn't lying. Beside, why would she ever lie about it? There's nothing she would get from it, wasn't it?

"Say, can you promise me something? If this goes well, will you spare my comrades?" Pakunoda pleaded.

"It depends," Kurapika said. "_If this goes well_... I'll think about it."

Pakunoda lips formed a thin smiled. "Sounds fair enough."

Kurapika took a deep breath then climbed the stage. She stood awkwardly in the center of the stage. To make a wish there... how would she know when the shooting star would come? She was in underground and couldn't see the sky from that place. She looked around, found nothing, and then looked up. Her eyes widened in surprised when the stone ceiling slowly turned its color. The deep gray turned velvet bluish and small, shiny particles appeared. They twinkled like glitters.

The evening sky.

She looked at the _sky_ in amazement. Hundred of stars gathered together in the middle, dividing the sky into two like a river. Then a small star moved from left to right, crossing the stream of stars. Its trails formed a tail which looked like a bridge over the river.

A river of stars, a star with tail, a bridge...

Once in seven, the first _shooting star_ of the seventh evening will guide a wish _cross_ the _stream of fate._

That's it!

The realization struck her and she quickly closed her eyes. The wish! She should think of the wish.

But... what was her wish?

To have her clan back? No. Rather than having them return from the death, she wished they hadn't died from the beginning. She wished she could have stopped their death. She wished she could have protected them both from death and from the Spider.

No, it would have been better if the Spider hadn't set her foot on the Kuruta village on the first place. That way, no one would have died. That way, nothing would have been lost.

_She wished she had been able to stop the Spider and prevent the attack to her clan._

That was her wish.

She opened her eyes and looked above. The stars shone brighter and brighter. Their light fused became intense like the sunshine and eventually blinded her eyes.

Everything turned opaque white.

* * *

Her eyelids slowly fluttered open. She blinked several times and looked blankly at the dark grey ceiling. At first her whole body felt numb, but then cold slowly crept onto her back. She tried to move her hands and used them to support her to get up.

'Where am I?' She questioned as she rubbed her aching head. 'What had happened?'

She tried to recall the past event. The last thing she remembered was she had been making a wish and then there had been a very bright light from above. She looked around. It was dark there, but she could see that she was still on the same place as where she had been. Only, she was lying on the cold ground now, not standing. She wondered if she had passed out during the procession. Her body felt really powerless. It was as if she had used up her Nen to some extent.

Perhaps... Perhaps she had unconsciously used her Nen during the wish-making and passed out due exhaustion.

What had happened then? Why nothing seemed to have change? Had she failed?

"Pakunoda?"

She called out the she-ghost, but the latter didn't answer.

"Pakunoda?"

She called out again, but still no response. The semi-translucent figure was nowhere to be seen either. That was weird. Where had that woman gone? Had she left her?

Kurapika's heart suddenly beat faster. Oh, no. What if she had been tricked and locked up in that place? She grunted in frustration. That was very stupid of her. Why had she believed that woman? Pakunoda was a Spider! If Pakunoda had planned to save the Spider on the first place, that woman could have just eliminated her, right? Why would a Spider have ever thought of _helping_ her? They were, after all, sworn ene-

"Yes?"

She heard a familiar voice and it made her she slightly relieved. At least she hadn't been left behind it that kind of place.

She got up and shook off dust from her clothes. She faced toward where Pakunoda's voice had come from. She was about to called out that woman again when she felt something was off.

She heard... footsteps.

And it was impossible because Pakunoda was a ghost. Her footsteps were supposed to be soundless.

The woman in question then came into Kurapika's sight. How astonished the Kuruta was when she saw that Pakunoda wasn't semi-translucent anymore.

Pakunoda looked exactly like a living human.

Had she came back to live? How so? Kurapika didn't remember she had wished for such a thing!

* * *

**WAAH! Cliffhanger right on the first chapter! What's actually happening here? OxO**

**Do you like the story so far? Do you want to read the continuation? If yes, then please drop a review and tell me your opinion! Concrits and corrections are always welcome :3**

**Hona mata :)**


	2. To Start a Journey

**Gokigenyou.**

**First of all, I shall thank everyone who're read, reviewed, faved, followed and WAITED. I'm so sorry for the extremely long wait. ****By now I've realized that I'm an one hell of bastard author that barely update after giving a cliffhanger. I won't give any excuse. I sincerely apologize for my inactivity, my easily distracted mind, my writer blocks and my laziness. m(_ _)m**

**Important note: I'm making some changes here. Previously I said I would follow the 1999 designs, but lately I'm getting used to the 2011 one. That's why I'm going to use the 2011 designs from now on, except for Kurapika's eyes. Her eyes are still blue, not gray. I hope this won't confuse you.**

**Disclaimer: Hunter x Hunter and its characters belongs to Togashi-sensei. Have you seen the latest beach-themed trading cards? Kurapika has boobs there.**

**Standard warning on grammatical mistakes and typos applies. I'm trying my best not to make many mistakes, but I still have to apologize in advance for being an imperfect writer.**

**Eeto, where were we before? Kurapika's meeting not-so-dead-anymore Pakunoda, wasn't it?**

* * *

**II**

**To Start a Journey**

If people wished strong enough, that wish would eventually come true. That was what people often said. However, no matter what, there should be a fine line between the possible and the impossible. Wishing for the impossible was stupid. No matter how much one wished for it, they couldn't resurrect the dead ones. Kurapika knew that. She understood that much. That was why she hadn't wished for her dead people to come back from the afterlife.

She was sure she hadn't made a wish for such a thing, but why was the exact opposite happening to her? On the top of everything, the one who was brought back to life wasn't her clansmen. It was the one she killed. It was the one who had been haunting her until some moments ago.

Why did this happen? Could it be that she have made a mistake during the procession? Did it mean she had lost the chance to save her clan from the massacre?

Or perhaps…

Could it be that this place didn't hold the power to grant wishes but a power to return the life to any ghost around that place using someone's nen on the first place? Could it be that it was a trap? Could it be that Pakunoda had tricked her? No, she hoped it wasn't the case. It might sound stupid, but she felt like trusting Pakunoda.

Kurapika clenched her fists as she left the stone pavilion and walked toward Pakunoda. She stopped when their distance was only about one meter away and looked straight at the other woman. Pakunoda looked back at her. It was faint, but Kurapika could see there was a sign of confusion in Pakunoda's cold face. Perhaps Pakunoda was astonished as well by the resurrection thing that had just happened to her.

"You..," Pakunoda began. She sounded hesitant. "Do you know me?"

Kurapika widened her eyes as she heard the question. "What do you mean?"

"You called my name just now, didn't you? How do you know my name? Do you know me? I don't know you at all though." Pakunoda said.

Kurapika stared at Pakunoda unbelievingly. What did the other woman mean? Did Pakunoda not recognize her? How come? Had Pakunoda forgotten about her? Was it even possible? Everything had become crazier and crazier. First this woman came back to life and now she acted as if she didn't recognize Kurapika at all. Just what was happening here? She was lost.

Pakunoda crossed her arms. She was waiting for an answer but it seemed like she wouldn't get any. "Do know me?" She asked again.

Kurapika didn't say anything in reply and looked away. Honestly, she didn't know what to say.

"I see," Pakunoda said. "It must be just my imagination. Pardon me." She then left Kurapika and walked toward the stone pavilion.

Kurapika watched Pakunoda's back as the latter walked away. Now that there was some distance between them, she started to realize that Pakunoda looked different. There was something off about that woman. Kurapika narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out what it was but she couldn't.

'It must be my imagination.' Kurapika thought as she shook her head. Of course Pakunoda would look different. That woman wasn't semi translucent anymore. Kurapika was thinking too much. She _must be_ thinking too much. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had to stay calm; otherwise she wouldn't be able to analyze the situation properly. After she cleared her mind, she opened her eyes and looked up. She focused her gaze on Pakunoda, trying to gather as many information as she could regarding their current situation from how the latter acted.

Pakunoda was taking her time admiring the pavilion. That woman looked very calm. It seemed as if she perfectly knew where she was and what she was doing. Did it mean Pakunoda still remember about how she got there? Had she only forgotten about Kurapika? To what extent had Pakunoda lost her memory? What about her death? What about the incident in Yorkshin City?

After a while, Pakunoda finally left the pavilion. She walked straight toward the entrance of the hall and stopped there. She then suddenly turned at Kurapika, causing the latter to be slightly taken aback. She stared at Kurapika and spoke up. "You… How long do you plan to stay here? The secret passage closes itself after an hour. If you stay here too long, you will end up locked up here until someone open the passage again from the outside."

"Is that so?" Kurapika blinked in bewilderment. She didn't know that. It would have been bad if she was trapped there for only-God-knew-how-long.

Kurapika hurriedly walked toward Pakunoda. Pakunoda turned on her heel and walked into the tunnel. Kurapika followed, she walked a meter away behind the other woman. Neither of them uttered a word. The sound of their footsteps echoed in the narrow tunnel as they walked in fast pace. The tunnel became darker when they get farther away from the hall. At some point everything turned black. They walked and walked in darkness until they finally saw a faint light ahead. It was the end of the tunnel. Kurapika heard Pakunoda exhaled deeply. Probably Pakunoda was relieved seeing that the entrance wasn't closed yet. Pakunoda might have been worried that she had lost track of the time.

They arrived at the entrance shortly. Pakunoda climbed the wall first. Kurapika followed behind. Fresh air greeted her as she crawled out the hole. She looked up. The sun was high up in the sky. It was probably noon.

'Strange.' Kurapika thought as she looked at the blue sky. It was midnight when she entered the cave. If Pakunoda was right about the entrance closing after an hour, then it should have been still dark outside, not in the middle of the day like this.

Kurapika glanced at Pakunoda. At first she meant to check out Pakunoda's reaction toward the missing timeline, but then she noticed something that was even weirder happening on Pakunoda. Earlier Kurapika had felt that Pakunoda had been different. Now she felt it again, and this time she knew what was wrong with that woman.

Pakunoda's appearance had changed: her hairstyle, her clothes and even her face. She didn't wear any make up and her hair was parted on the side. Instead of the dark purple suit that revealed her cleavage, she was now wearing a white blouse over a black skirt. On the top of everything, she looked… younger.

"What?" Pakunoda asked as she realized that Kurapika had been staring at her.

"N- No. Nothing." Kurapika replied as she turned her face away.

'Just what's going on?' Kurapika felt her head was about to explode. Normally, she would have been able to keep her composure and analyze the situation thoroughly, but her current situation was far from being _normal_. Everything was beyond logical. First there was a ghost who had introduced her to a suspicious magical power called wish-granting. Instead of having her wish granted, the ghost had suddenly turned back to life, lost part of her memory and became younger.

Oh, how Kurapika wished someone could explain why all of this happened to her. Was it a punishment from God for her sins? If that so, why it was only her? Why didn't the Spider get the same -if not worse- punishment?

"Paku."

An unfamiliar voice called out and it broke Kurapika's chain of thought. Kurapika quickly turned to see the owner of the voice. It was a young woman around Kurapika's age. She had short pink hair that flicked outward around her neck. She wore white martial arts shirt with matching short.

"Machi." Pakunoda said in acknowledge.

As soon as Kurapika heard the name, she realized that the new girl was a Spider. The appearance was different and the hair was shorter, but Kurapika was positive this Machi girl was one of them.

Kurapika tensed up and clenched her fists. Meeting the Spider was the least thing she ever wanted to do. It was even worse that one of them had seen Pakunoda who was supposed to be dead. What should she do? Should she fight? Or should she run?

"You're here again," Machi began. "As expected."

"It can't be help. This place is just simply fascinating."Pakunoda replied.

"There's nothing but ruins down there. I don't get which part of it is _fascinating_." Machi shrugged.

Pakunoda let out a chuckle. "You just don't see it yet."

Kurapika watched the two spiders chatted. 'It's strange,' she mentally noted. 'They acted as if nothing was wrong… as if Pakunoda never died on the first place.'

Machi looked at Kurapika. She stared her for a while before turning back to Pakunoda. "Your acquaintance?" She asked the older blonde.

Machi's words surprised Kurapika. Did the pinkhead not recognize her? How come? Hadn't the Spider found out her identity already? Indeed she wasn't wearing her tribal clothes, but the Spider wouldn't be that stupid to not recognize her because of that.

Pakunoda slightly shook her head. "No. We just met down there."

"I see," Machi murmured as she looked closely at Kurapika's face, which made the latter feel more uncomfortable. "I've never seen you before. A newcomer?"

'_Newcomer? _What does she mean by newcomer?' Kurapika thought. She didn't really get what Machi was saying so she preferred to say nothing in reply.

Machi frowned at the silent girl, but she didn't try to probe anymore information. She turned to Pakunoda and said, "Chrollo asked us to meet up."

"Is it time already?" Pakunoda looked at an old watch on her right wrist. "That's faster than I thought. Well then, we'll take our leave." She said to Kurapika with a thin smile.

Kurapika tried to smile back at Pakunoda, but the muscles on her face felt numb. Her heart raced after she had heard that the head of the Spider had made contact with the limbs. What did it mean? Had the chain that bound his heart got removed already? How could that have happened without her noticing it?

Had her wish released Chrollo from her judgment chain?

Everything became weirder and weirder. A lot of thing had changed ever since she had made the wish. Just how much her wish changed the reality? She carved to find out the truth. She was also curious about what the Spider was planning to do next. However, it would be dangerous if she stayed there too long. Ryuuseigai was the enemy's lair. Chrollo Lucilfer was there, and probably the rest of the Spider as well. There was no guarantee that the other members of the Spider wouldn't recognize her. She wouldn't have a chance of winning if she were to fight all of them at once.

It would be much wiser if she stayed away from this place. She had to get to a save place, then she had to tell her friends that the Spider had reunited with its head. That way they could prepare their selves for the worst case. However, it might take too much time. By the time she was ready to fight, the Spider might have disappeared from Ryuuseigai without a trace. If that happened, t would be hard to track them and she wouldn't be able to make a move. All she could do was to wait and wait, until they launched an ambush attack to her.

What should she do? Both options had their own disadvantages.

_Should she stay or leave?_

* * *

In the end, Kurapika gave in to her reckless side. She wanted to know the truth. She wanted to know how the other spiders reacted when they saw Pakunoda. She wanted to know what the Spider was up to. On the top of everything, she wanted to confirm with her very eyes whether Chrollo was really there or not.

She went to Zetsu state and followed Pakunoda and Machi. She walked around fifty meters away from the two spiders. So far they didn't seem to notice her, or, at least, even if they knew she was there, they didn't seem to think of her as a threat. They might be thinking that she only happened to walk to the same direction as them. Nevertheless she shouldn't let her guard down. They might turn and attack her at anytime. There was also a chance that their accomplice was double-tailing her.

Once in a while, Kurapika took a quick glance on her surroundings. The city was like one big slum. The houses and buildings were in misery condition; badly damaged and covered in filth. The air was stinking; it was like a mixture of garbage, stale food, smoke, urea and any other smelly substances she couldn't tell anymore. She winced as queasiness start building up in her stomach. She felt like she would puke at anytime, but no one else beside her looked disturbed by the smell. They walked, talked, worked, played, even sit back and do nothing without giving a damn to the awful surroundings. It seemed like people of Ryuuseigai had already been used to the grieving condition of this city.

Pakunoda and Machi walked past the downtown and went to the east. They walked and walked until they arrived at the outskirt of the city. There wasn't any housing at that place. That place was a landfill; a very big one. Trashes piled up everywhere, forming hills and mountains. The two spiders made their way through the garbage field to the deeper part of that place. Kurapika had a hard time following them. The piles of trash created many blind spots. She had to maintain the distance without losing the two from her sight.

After a long walk, Pakunoda and Machi reached a place where the inhabitants of the city kept large wastes. The two started climbing one of the trash hills that was made of timbers and wooden boxes. They passed the peak and disappeared to the other side.

As soon as the two were out of Kurapika's, she heard voices coming from the other side of the hill. Kurapika made her was around the hill. She crawled up slowly while hiding behind the boxes. She took a peek and saw the two female spiders were meeting up with some people. There were a big man; a muscular afro with tanned skin; a thin and rather short guy; a man with top knot, and a blond kid around ten years old. Kurapika immediately recognized some of them and concluded that they were members of Phantom Troupe. However, just like Pakunoda and Machi, they looked different from the last time she had seen them in Yorkshin City. The big man didn't have scars on his face and his ears were in completely normal shape. The top-knoted guy looked much younger without moustache or beard. Kurapika didn't really remember the short guy's face, but she guessed he was the masked man because of the height. As for the rest: the afro and the kid, she couldn't recall anyone that looked like them. The afro might be a new member, but would the Spider even recruit a kid like that?

_Wait! If she recalled correctly…_

There hadn't been a kid back then, but there was a blonde guy who did look _similar_ to that kid…

No, no. It was _impossible_. There was no way a human being shrunk like that. They must be siblings or something. Kurapika tried to shove away the crazy idea about the two being the same person. However, the more she thought about it, the more she questioned about which ones actually made sense and which didn't. Was it really impossible? A lot of crazy things had happened around her so what made it impossible _at this point_?

Coming back to life, looking younger and actually getting smaller…

Why did it seem like the Spider's time had turned _backward_? It was as if they had returned to the past, when Pakunoda had been still alive. No, farther than that; it was like as if they had been in several years before the Yorkshin incident.

They? Was it really _them_ who returned to the past? What about her? What if it was actually _her_ who returned to the past?

Kurapika closed her eyes and tried to think everything thoroughly. She didn't have any evidence of her theory, but it seemed legit enough (albeit crazy). After all, her wish was _to stop_ the Spider from massacring her clansmen. The only way to do it was perhaps by confronting them _before_ they laid their hand to the Kuruta clan.

What should she do now? How would she prove her theory? Should she just jumped in and see whether anyone would recognize her? No, definitely no. It was too reckless and stupid. She would be so dead if she turned out to be wrong.

Then _how_?

What was the safest way to confirm that she had time-traveled to the past?

Kurapika took a deep breath. She had to calm down otherwise she wouldn't be able to think properly. She decided to clear her mind and listened to the Spider's conversation. She might get a clue by doing so.

"… isn't it too complicated?" It was a male voice, but Kurapika couldn't tell whose it was.

"Right, wouldn't it easier to just focus yourself on physical power?" said the other. It was also a man voice but different from the first one.

"But I'm not an enhancer like you, Uvo!" This time it was a high pitched voice. It wasn't Pakunoda's or Machi's, so it must be the kid's.

'_Uvo_? Uvogin's there too?' Kurapika inhaled sharply. Her chest tightened as she recalled the face of the man she had killed with her own hands. Why hadn't she realized it sooner? The man with afro hair was none other than Uvogin! This meant that not only Pakunoda, but Uvogin was alive as well.

"Besides, it will be fun if I can have my own toys." The kid continued. It seemed like they were talking about his ability.

"But doesn't it mean that you'll always need your phone?" said Pakunoda.

_Phone?_

That was right. Kurapika still had her phone. Duh, why hadn't she thought about it before? She fished her phone out of her pocket and swiped the screen. The date displayed there hadn't changed. She was a little disappointed when she saw it but she hadn't lost her hope yet. She was still able to verify her theory by making a phone call. She and her friends had exchanged they phone numbers several months before they met up in Yorkshin. If their phone didn't recognize her numbers, then she had gone, at least, to some time before the exchange. Whom shall she call first? Gon? Leorio? Killua? Or perhaps her workmate Senritsu?

First she called Gon. He and had just gotten his phone in Yorkshin so timeline wise, it would be the closest one. She set the volume to the lowest level, pressed the call button and raised the phone to her ear. Instead of hearing the usual waiting tone, she heard a single beep and the line instantly got disconnected. She tried to call Leorio, KIllua and Senritsu, but she couldn't reach them as well.

'Is it because the phone is out of reach?' She wondered. She checked the signal bar, but it was full. There shouldn't be any problem. She then decided to call her boss, Nostrade. His phone should be reachable anytime-anywhere-anyhow. Nevertheless, the same thing happened again. The call ended right away. She didn't even get to hear the voice massage that was usually played whenever the network was error. Did it mean that the problem was on her phone? Could it be that her number wasn't registered _yet_? In that case, just how many years she had skipped back? It was even harder to make a guess. She could only ask some people what year it was or look for a calendar.

…

…

_Ba-Thump!_

Her heart skipped a beat when she suddenly felt a presence _right behind_ her back.

'Since when?' She mentally questioned. Her body stiffened as she felt an intimidating aura. For her to not be able to detect his presence until he was this close….The person behind her was no doubt a skillful Nen user with perfect Zetsu.

'Who? Who is it?'

Her question was then indirectly answered as that person spoke up.

"What are you doing here?"

_That baritone voice_. She knew it. She remembered that voice well. It belonged to a person she hated with all her heart and soul.

She turned around, looked up and glared at the black haired man. If it wasn't for the black contact lenses she wore, her eyes would have been visibly red.

"_Chrollo… Lucilfer."_

* * *

**Finally Chrollo appeared *insert dramatic BGM here* and it's **_**to be continued**_**! *nervous laughs* Sorry, I just love to end a chapter with cliffhangers. It makes the chapter feels like manga.**

**I'm sorry if this chapter was full of questions. It's just not easy for Kurapika to make a conclusion that she had just time traveled to the past. She's a bright girl, but the idea is just too crazy and absurd and illogical and impossible!**

**I hope you liked the chapter. Please kindly leave a review in the box bellow so that I'll know how you feel about this chapter. Concrits, suggestions and corrections are always welcome!**

**Thank you for your time! :)**


	3. To Ask a Question

**Hello there, thank you for sticking with this story. Here I present you the third chapter n_n**

**My lovely reviewers: (chapter 1) Guest-san #1, AHiMa, symbalin, Kanon58, Flower Scent, Phoenix-Thunder, LordOfTheWest, Kurakuroro, sayurijaina0839, Koko, KaRisa-Hime, Sapphire Nightcrystal, Nispedana, R, weema, SageofAges729, and Guest-san #2; (chapter 2) Kanon58, Idle-Riddle, thereviewer123, Phoenix-Thunder, and rodessalorenzo. Thank you for your support. I hope to see your reviews again in the future!**

**Disclaimer: Togashi-sensei owns Hunter x Hunter and the characters. I own this fic only.**

**Standard warning on grammatical errors and typos applies. Corrections are always welcomed.**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

**III**

**To Ask a Question**

"Kurapika."

The said blonde girl turned around. She looked up and smiled brightly a brown haired man who had just called him.

"Finally it's tomorrow," the man sighed and smiled sadly. "Honestly, I don't want you to go to the outside world."

"Dear, Kurapika's already twelve. She's old enough to start her own adventure," a woman approached the man and Kurapika. Her face was like an exact replica of Kurapika, or perhaps it was the way around. Her short blonde hair also has the same hue as Kurapika's. The only difference between the two was that her eyes were brown, unlike Kurapika's blue ones. "You should be happy for her. She doesn't need to spend her precious teenager inside this boring village." The woman put her hands on the hips. She pouted, but didn't seem mad at all to the man.

"It can't be help. Kurapika's forever our dear baby," the man said as he put his hand on Kurapika's head and ruffled her hair. He then took out a small electronic device from his pocket and handed it out to the girl.

Kurapika took it and observed it with curious eyes. "What's this?"

"It's a cell phone, a portable telephone. It's much faster and easier to use it than a regular mail." the man explained. The Kurutan lived deep inside forest. They rarely went too far from their village and didn't really need to carry portable communication tool. It was Kurapika's first time seeing a cell phone.

"Whenever you feel lonely or homesick, just give us a call," The woman winked. "We'll be looking forward to hearing the story of your adventure."

Kurapika looked at the cell phone with twinkling eyes. She was very happy to have her first cell phone. She put it on her chest tightly then looked up at the two adults, who wore similar tribal clothes as her.

"Thank you, Mom, Dad."

It was the night before her departure; six month before the Kuruta clan massacre.

Ever since that day, Kurapika never changed her phone number. Her first phone had been broken down, but she still kept the same number. She had been using it for five years and refused to let it go as it was a memento from her parents.

Never that she had expected that the day when she couldn't use that number would come… Or to be exact, the day when she couldn't use it _yet_.

* * *

Their black eyes met.

Unlike Kurapika's contacts, the darkness of Chrollo's eyes was deeper and seemingly bottomless. They were cold and emotionless, but beautiful in their own way. If only the owner of those eyes hadn't conducted a mass murder on her people, she wouldn't have regarded them as the most disturbing things on the world.

It had been months since the last time she had seen him on the outskirt of Yorkshin City and he had changed a lot since then. Well, that was to be expected since she had gone to the past. The Chrollo who stood before her was at least five year younger than the one in her real time. His hair wasn't combed all back and he looked much younger that way. His black fringes covered his forehead, where the cross-shaped tattoo was supposed to be. He didn't have the sapphire orb earrings, nor did he wear his trademark coat. Instead, he wore a normal long sleeved shirt over a pair of normal pants. Black seemed to be his all time favorite color, as his attires were black from top to toe.

Even though he looked less annoying compared to his Danchou set up, Kurapika still couldn't suppress her hatred toward him. No, not when they were face to face like this. That cold face of him reminded him on how cruel and heartless he was. It reminded her for what he and his Spider had done to her people.

Chrollo stared at her with a gaze that was drilling through her skull. He was probably trying to read her. It would be better if she looked away, but her pride told her not to run away. She glared back at him with unwavering eyes. She hated him so much. She hated him to the core. If it wasn't for her contacts, she would have had her true identity as well as her emotion visible like an open text book.

Their staring contest was then ended when she someone appeared behind her. A second later, a Ko surrounded hand was pointed to her neck. Those strengthened nails were ready to cut arteries on her neck at anytime.

Nevertheless, she was more prepared this time. Ever since Chrollo had showed up out of nowhere, she had raised her guard to prevent being caught off guard the second time. Thanks to it, she had been able to read the third person's coming a moment before he had launched his attack and thanks to it she could counter him just in time. She launched her Dowsing Chain toward the attacker. It didn't hit him, but it was enough to force him to retreat.

The attacker, who turned out to be the short guy, jumped back. He clicked his tongue as he eyed Kurapika with his narrow eyes. It was obvious that he was disappointed that he hadn't gotten to kill the blonde in a surprise attack.

The Dowsing Chain dangerously swung around Kurapika. She looked at the short guy and Chrollo back and forth, preparing herself for another attack from any of the guys.

Surprisingly, instead of ganging up with the short guy against her, Chrollo stopped him. "Feitan." He called out with a firm voice. It wasn't even a command, but that one word was enough to make the other guy refrain from attacking Kurapika.

Feitan frowned as he straightened his back and shove both of his hands into pockets on his pants.

"We're just talking, so don't anything unnecessary," Chrollo said to Feitan. He then changed his gazed and looked at the other spiders who stood not so far away from the short guy. "The same goes to all of you."

The young spiders nodded in acknowledgement. They did nothing but stared at Kurapika. Pakunoda and Machi recognized her, but they kept silent as they didn't want to go against Chrollo's order.

Upon receiving good responds from his comrade, Chrollo turned back at Kurapika. "I apologize for the inconvenient," he said with a straight face, obviously not showing sorry at all for what one of his spiders had done. "However, I can't guarantee anything like that won't happen again if you don't answer to my question."

His voice was still monotonous as ever, but they sounded deadly poisonous to her ears. It was a threat. In one way around, he was saying: _spit it out or I'll have them make you to_.

'You're the lowest.' Kurapika mentally cursed. At this point, she was sure that Chrollo Lucilfer was indeed a bastard from birth. His younger self was just as cunning as his older one.

_What are you doing here?_

She repeated the question in her sounded like a simple question anyone would ask, but it meant more when he was the one who asked it. _Who she was, why she was here, why she hid, what she was hiding, what her intention was… _All of those questions were compiled into one. In short, he required her to spit everything out if she still wanted to live.

She refused to say anything so she just glared at the man before her in silence.

"Don't assume you'll get away easily. I can make you talk… in one way or another." He said coldly without much intention to hide his sadistic side. Here, he obviously meant that he could just torture her until she gave in and spoke up.

"I… have nothing to say to spider." She spat.

Chrollo still wore his indifferent face mask, but Kurapika didn't fail to notice his brows furrowed slightly for several milliseconds.

"_Spider_, huh?"

He stared at Kurapika with a contemplating look and it made the others wondered what he was thinking. After a while, he then muttered something in low voice. It was barely audible that no one else beside Kurapika could hear it.

"It can't be helped."

She blinked.

And he was gone from her sight.

Her brain lagged due to the shock and it caused her fail to respond in time. She was flabbergastered when her mind finally preceded the information that _he had just_ _disappeared_. She quickly tuned her En to detect his presence, but she couldn't keep up with his speed. She was too late.

He was already behind her.

'Kuh! So fast!' She saw him raised an arm from the corner of her eye but didn't have enough time to dodge. He delivered a clean hit on the back of her neck. Her head stung due to the pain and her vision blackened. Her consciousness quickly faded away and the last thing she could remember was a strong hand caught her just before she hit the ground.

* * *

Kurapika's body felt numb. She couldn't opened her eyes, nor move a finger. Why was she in such a state? She couldn't recall what had happened to her. Her mind refused to think.

"Are you sure it's fine?" She heard a faint voice. It sounded very far away.

"Ah." There was a second voice. It was deeper than the first one.

"Won't it be better if you just let me check his memory?" said the first.

"There's no need for it," said the second. "At least, not now."

"But…" the first stopped for a while, she sounded hesitant. "He knows about _that place_. Don't you think it's weird? What if he's a spy sent by _those people_?"

"We'll know about it sooner or later." replied the second calmly.

"Chrollo!" the first raised her voice.

"Just let me handle this, Paku. I'll contact you _if_ we really need your power."

"… Fine."

Slowly regaining her consciousness, Kurapika realized that by _he, _those two were actually referring to her. She opened her eyelids and forced herself to get up. She looked at the direction where the two voices come from, but she could only spot one person. Sensing that she had woken up, that person turned around to greet her.

"Good morning." Chrollo said in mocking tone.

Kurapika greeted him back with her best glare, and then quickly took a glance on her surroundings. There was no one else beside him. Had he made them retreat on purpose? Oh well, it didn't really matter for her whether they were there or not.

"Why didn't you kill me?" She questioned.

"There's no benefit in killing you." He answered matter-of-factly.

She scowled. "In other words, you're saying there's a benefit in keeping me alive."

"You're a sharp one," Chrollo smirked in amusement. He then took a seat on a box in front of her so that their eyes were around the same level. "Then let's just get to the point."

Kurapika rolled her eyes. She didn't find his praise delighting at all. If anything, it made her want to punch that smug face of him. "And I see you're not really sharp, Mr. Smarty Pants. I'm not answering any of your questions. Period." She said in a final tone, crossed her arms and looked away.

"Figures," He said as he fished something out of his pocket. "That's why we're doing it in different way."

She glanced from the corner of her eye and saw that bastard was holding her phone and wallet in his hand. "You!" She grimaced.

"I'll return them for each question you answer." He explained.

"Hmph, there's no way I'll believe in your words. You might just be lying," she sneered. "Thief."

"Well, it's up to you whether you want them back or not." He replied. He was still as composed as ever, as if he knew perfectly that he would win this game over her.

She couldn't say anything to refute. No matter how much she hated it, she had no other choice other than to get along with whatever he was planning. She needed her belongings back. Her hunter license, IDs, credit cards and money were all inside her wallet. Moreover, even thought she couldn't use her phone anymore, there were several important numbers which might come handy in the future. "Fine. But I'll have my right to refuse answering personal questions."

"Deal," another annoying smirk was plastered on his annoying face. "Well then, let's start with the first question: what's your name?"

"… Kurapika." She answered reluctantly.

"Are you a girl, or a boy?"

Kurapika frowned. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious." Chrollo shrugged.

"Well, what do _you_ think?"

"A girl," he replied. "I saw your ID."

'Then why would you ask about it if you already know on the first place!' She wanted to punch his face, breaking his nose in the process, but she had to hold her anger back. She gritted her teeth and took a deep breath. There was no way she would let him outsmart her.

"But I have two IDs. One listed as male and the other as female." She defied.

He stared blankly at her for a while before he spoke up. "Sorry, but I accidentally felt _them_ when I caught you."

Kurapika blinked several times before realization struck her. Blood quickly raised to her head as her face gained a color that was similar to her eyes. "Perverted bastard!" She cursed at the man, who didn't look apologetic at all despite what he had done.

The black haired man let out a low chuckle as he saw her defensively crossed her arms against her chest. Her body language just confirmed that she was indeed a girl. "That was unintentional. Besides, you should be thankful to me. You would have hit the ground face first if I hadn't caught you."

"Oh, please," she said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't have fallen if you hadn't knocked me out cold on the first place."

"Well, it was the most harmless way I could afford for you… unless you actually prefer to get tortured by one of my comrades." He said as he threw her wallet to her.

She raised a brow as she caught the wallet. Was he saying that he had just _saved_ her from his own accomplice? Why? Did it have something to do with the fact that he had driven everyone away and preferred to face her one-on-one?

"Next question," he said, leading the conversation back to its original topic. He suddenly looked more serious as the teasing smirk disappeared from his face. "What kind of connection do you share with the mafia? I saw Nostrade name in your recent call log."

Kurapika pushed aside her anger and started to think of the best answer she could give in this situation. She had heard that Ryuuseigai and the Community had a complex relationship. They seemed to have a good give-and-take relationship; mafia often recruited men from the Ryuuseigai, as people whose existence was unknown to the world made the best human-weapon. However, in reality, both party actually detested each other. Each party thought of the other as a threat.

"I was once employed by the Nostrade as a bodyguard." She answered carefully.

"Once? Then why did you make a call to the Nostrade earlier? You _were_ calling them back then, right?" He preached.

So he knew that she had been making a call.

"That's…" she paused for a while before continuing. "It's something I refuse to explain in detail. All I can tell you is that I wasn't doing anything in the mafia's account. My arrival here had nothing to do with them. _If_ I was really working for them, you as well as your people would have been ambushed by my comrades who were hiding somewhere."

Chrollo looked at her eyes, trying to figure out whether what she was saying was true or not. She looked back at him courageously. Whatever he was thinking about her, she was speaking the truth and wasn't afraid of his gaze.

"You're right. There's no way mafia would send their man to come here alone. On the other hand, if you were still with them, you wouldn't be able to come here by your free will." He concluded as he handed her the phone. "I won't ask you why you were here, but there's something else I need to know."

"Well, too bad you don't have anything else to exchange for the information."

"Oh, I do." He leaned forward and rested his chin on his crossed finger. "I'll tell you how to _survive_."

She frowned, indicating that she needed him to explain further.

"_We reject no one. So don't take anything from us_," he said. "While we welcome anyone who comes to this city, we won't let any _suspicious stranger who poses threat_ to this city and its people get away easily."

Her brows furrowed deeper. She had a connection with a mafia family and it was more than enough to make Ryuuseigai regard her as a threat. She couldn't leave this place easily, as they would think that she was indeed a spy from the Community. In other hand, it would be hard to stay in the city because some of the spiders had already seen her as a possible enemy.

"You have a reason why you set your foot on this place, right? Then you'll have to struggle for whatever it is." Chrollo's onyx eyes glinted and they sent a chill down her spine. "_I can help you."_

She clenched her fists. Never that she expected that she would need a help hand from his sworn enemy. "Fine," she said suppressing her emotion. "What do you want to know?"

"Tell me everything you know about the _Spider_." He said solemnly.

She looked at him questioningly. She hadn't really expected that. Was he curious on how she knew about them? Well, it might be natural for him to feel so as the Spider's identity was supposed to be unknown.

Kurapika closed her eyes as she started narrating about her most hated enemy. "The Spider, or Phantom Troupe, is gang of ruthless thieves," she left out the A-class bounty status because she wasn't sure whether they got that status yet. "They steal, and kill anyone who stands in their way. Some of the members are originated from Ryuuseigai, including the head." She opened her eyes and looked at him. "I don't know what are you aiming for by making me saying all of these, but you should be the one who knows the best about the Spider." She said then looked away.

"Well then, what do you know about the _Round Table_?" He asked again.

"No idea." She answered shortly.

"Do you know any of the elders?"

"Nope."

"…"

"I don't even have any idea about which elders you are referring to."

Chrollo put a hand over his mouth and thought. He stared intensively at her, which made the latter feel extremely uncomfortable. "How many members does the Spider have?"

Kurapika raised a brow at the ridiculous question. "Thirteen."

"I see." He muttered as he got up. He straightened his back and walked away several steps toward the setting sun.

"Phantom Troupe," he began. "It is an idea that comes from the Round Table, Ryuuseigai's elders. Those geezers have been wanting for a power to fight against the mafia. They dislike how the mafia holds so much control over our city for years, thus secretly developing a plan to oppose them. However, it wasn't easy to realize it as the mafia always has their eyes set on us." He paused and turned around. "Kurapika, the Phantom Troupe you're talking about is not existed _yet_."

Said girl widened her eyes. No, it couldn't be true!

"It's supposed to be a top secret and only a few people know about it. Not even Paku and the others know about it. I wonder how you manage to get information about it, despite not having any connection with the elders." He looked at the blonde. She seemed to be in a shock and couldn't say anything. He found her to be a very odd girl. Odd, yet interesting.

"As for _the Spider_," he continued. "It is a concept I come up with. It's only a rough idea. I haven't told the elders about it, nor have I ever talked about it with anyone else.

Honestly, I'm curious…

_How do you even know about it?"_

* * *

…**to be continued. Again.**

**Next: Chrollo found out that Kurapika knew things no one was supposed to know. What would he do to her? What would **_**she**_** do? How would she save her clansmen from the Spider which wasn't existed yet?**

**I hope you liked the chapter. I'll be waiting for your review. Concrits, suggestions, questions, complains, praises… Anything is welcomed :3**

**See you (hopefully) soon!**


	4. To Hold a Belief

**Omatase! n_n**

**Thank you for reading/following/faving this particular story. Special thanks to the reviewers who have kindly shared their though on the last chapter: Kanon58, august, Nispedana (chapter 2 & 3), LadyxDoLL, MARYLOVER, a, Idle-Riddle, arashian16 (chapter 2), and Guest-san. Thank you for your support! I hope to see your review again!**

**Disclaimer: Togashi-sensei owns Hunter x Hunter and the characters. I own this fic only.**

**Standard warning on grammatical errors and typos applies. Corrections are always welcomed.**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

**IV**

**To Hold a Belief**

Tick tock tick tock.

The clock's ticking sound filled the room. There was nothing else audible beside it. There was not a single bird chirping or a rooster crowing heard even though the sun was rising outside.

Tick tock tick tock.

The blonde's blue eyes stared blankly at the ceiling above her as she listened to the heartless sound of time. Seconds, minutes and hours had passed. The once dark gray ceiling had turned yellowish as rays of sunlight penetrated into the room through the window beside the bed she was resting in.

She placed the back of her hand over her eyes and briefly closed her eyes. Her parted lips moved as she chanted a soundless prayer.

Tick tock tick tock.

The girl slowly opened her eyelids and moved her hand away. It was there again… that ceiling.

"It's not a dream, huh…" She muttered.

Strange things were happening to her and she wished it was only a dream; a nightmare that would disappeared once she opened her eyes. However, no matter how many times she closed her eyes and prayed for it, the same ceiling greeted every time she open her eyes.

_The Spider hadn't existed yet._

Was that even real? Not even in her wildest imagination she had ever thought of it. She devoted her life to hunt them down. She created her nen chain solely for that purpose. However, with the spiders being _not spiders_, everything had become a vain. Her enemy was there, right before her eyes, yet she couldn't do anything about it.

What did she come to the past for if she couldn't even fight them? Why had she come to _that time_? Why not shortly after the Spider was founded, or maybe right before they hail to the Lukuso?

Why _now_?

She was lost… and she was trapped. She had Chrollo's eyes set on her. Even though that man _let her alive_, she knew he still had suspicion on her and wouldn't let her get away easily. That bastard… She wished she could just beat the crap out of him, but it was impossible. She hated to admit it, but he was strong. Even the younger version of him was strong. Earlier he had caught her off guard and knocked her down one-handedly. The chance of winning against him without using Chain Jail was really slim.

Kurapika sighed as she got up from the bed. She entered the bathroom and washed her face. She looked up and saw her reflection on a small mirror hanging over the sink. She didn't like the image shown on the mirror. Her blue eyes were dull. There were black circles under her eyes due the lack of sleep. It was only her first night in Ryuuseigai yet she already looked really exhausted and weak. _Pathetic._ How was she supposed fight if she was like this?

She put her clothes away as she decided to have a shower. She stood under the shower and turned the tab. She shivered as water poured onto her head and run down her body. The cold sensation stung the nerve system all over her body, but it did a great job washing away her fatigue.

She breathed in and exhaled slowly several time. "Calm down…" she whispered softly, reminding herself. She might be lost now, but she still had time. From the look of it, it didn't seem like the Spider would be found anytime soon. There were still several months left, or even years, before the Kuruta clan massacre. She had to stay strong and believe that she would eventually find a way to get out from this mayhem.

She turned the tab to the other side and the water stopped. She sighed deeply before turning around to get her clothes. She took her navy blue long sleeved shirt and used it as a substitute of towel to drain her body and hair.

"If I had known things would have ended up like this, I would have brought more clothes along." She whined as she wore back a light blue camisole over her undergarments. She stared at her white trousers. They were dirty. She regretted she hadn't picked a darker color. She put the trousers as well as the shirt she used as towel earlier into a bucket and poured water in it. She squatted down by the bucket and started rubbing the wet clothes. Some dirt came off, but it was hard to cleanse them with water only. She looked around and tried to find detergent or any cleaning solution, but didn't find any.

'Maybe it's in the kitchen…' She thought as she stood up. She didn't really like the idea of messing someone else's house without permission, but it couldn't be help. Besides, it wasn't like she was going to steal or anything. She only wanted to _borrow_ it.

She shrugged as she shoved the bad thought away. She wiped her wet hands to her camisole. She reached out her right hand, turned the knobbed, pulled the door open and…

She saw _him_ -no- _it_. Technically it was a _him_, but she decided not to count a bastard as a human being anymore. Oh well, whatever he was, that bastard was happened to stand in the kitchen, which was exactly on the opposite of the bathroom. With a cup of coffee in his hand, he whipped his head as soon as he heard the door opened and looked at her, who happened to deliberately come out of the bathroom only in her undergarments.

_BLAM!_

Kurapika slammed the door closed with so much force as if she had been trying to break it.

'THE HELL!' She mentally shirked as squatted down. She covered her flustered face with both hands and curled her body into a ball. It had been only for split-seconds, but she saw that bastard raised a brow at her. That was just too embarrassing! If only there had been a bottomless hole on the ground, she would have jumped in right away and never ever get out again.

"W- What the hell are you doing here?" She shouted at the bastard on the other side of the door, a.k.a. Chrollo Lucilfer.

"I can ask you the same," he replied. "Walking around in someone else's room _like that_."

"That- that's…" her face felt so hot due the unbearable embarrassment. Her face, ears and eyes were probably all red now. Why oh why it had to be _him _who witnessed her dressing up in such vulgar manner? Well, not like she wanted anybody to see her like that. It wasn't like she purposefully did that either. She was like this only because she had thought there had been no one around. "Wait, I'm the one who asked first here!"

"I'm just having my breakfast," he said in matter-of-factly tone. "Besides, this is _my_ room. I can do whatever I want here."

* * *

_The evening before…_

Kurapika and raven haired man stood facing each other. The blonde Kuruta looked straightly toward the man, but her eyes weren't focused on him. Instead, they were gazing blankly at the light that slowly faded behind his back. The sky lost its bright orange color and turned bluish black. The land darkened as the last ray of setting sun disappeared on the horizon.

"Well?" Chrollo slightly tilted his head to the side as he spoke.

Kurapika batted her eyelashes several times then looked down at his feet, avoiding eye contact. She didn't know what she should say to answer his previous question. She couldn't possibly say that she had come from the future where Phantom Troupe, the A-class bounty criminal, existed. It would only make him think that she was lying, if not crazy.

"Fine then… if you don't want to answer right away." He finally said after a long gap of awkward silence.

She sighed in relief inwardly. He did make an indirect statement that he would ask her about it again, but at least she would have time to come up with a good, convincing lie.

She saw him fished out something out of his pocket and threw it at her direction. "This is against our agreement, but I'll let you have it as a down payment."

She quickly caught that thing. "A key?" she raised a brow questioningly as she inspected the silver-colored key in her hand. It was attached to a black wooden plate keychain with St. Peter's Cross carving.

"Depends on how you use it, it can be a key to your survival," he paused for a while. His onyx orbs glinted in amusement as he eyed the expression on her face, which clearly demanded him to explain further. "Ryuuseigai is very dangerous at night. Wandering around in dark literally means the same as having death wish. Murder, robbery, rape, violence, etc. occur every day and no one will ever care if something happens to you. There's basically no law that guarantee your safety here."

"Hm… So you're saying that you're letting me stay at wherever this key leads to _for my safety_?" Kurapika smirked mockingly as she clutched the key in her hand. "How generous of you."

She knew perfectly that he did all of these not because of he was a gentleman or something. He didn't do it because he wanted to help her either. He just wanted to keep her under his surveillance. As simple as that. She was not trustworthy, not with her suspicious acts and her connection with the mafia. That was why he kept her within his arm reach, so that he could easily kill her when it the necessity dictated.

The spider entangled her in his web alive.

How cunning… Nevertheless, it wasn't like he was the only sneaky one here. She decided to pretend that she was getting along in his game while secretly making up a plan to turn the table against him.

* * *

Honestly, Kurapika hadn't expected Chrollo to offer her the key of his own flat. Wasn't he being too reckless? To let a stranger stay in his room that easily... Was he looking down at her? The sole thought about it was enough to make her mad.

_Just wait and see!_ She would totally make him regret for taking her too lightly. She would find his weakness and use it against him.

Well, that had been her plan… but why did she found herself curling in the bathroom while thinking of getting suicide?

"H- How did you get in?" Her voice was shaking due the intense anger mixed with embarrassment she felt.

"I keep a spare key with me." He answered, sounding annoyingly calm.

"Oh…" She suddenly felt so stupid. Duh, of course he would!

"Are you done with your questions? If that's the case, I'd like to have an answer to my question now." He said.

"I was…" she squeaked. "I was looking for something to wash my clothes with. I- It's not like I intentionally dress up like this! Had I known that you're here..." Her voice gradually rose as she spoke. "Argh! You're at fault too! You should've knocked the door or something!"

"Why should I knock to my own room?"

She heard a faint sighing and it irritated her. Indeed it was her fault for being too reckless, but he should know some manner too. He knew a girl was staying in his room (heck, it had been him who had made her stay), so he shouldn't have barged into the room as he pleased, even thought it was his own room. Her hands felt itchy; they carved to struggle that bastard's neck and suffocate him to death. If only she could just get out from the bathroom…

A soft knock was heard and it interrupted her fantasy of murdering the Spider head. She turned her head and looked at the door she had been leaning to. She stared skeptically for a while before getting up and opened the door slightly. She peeked from the gap but she saw nobody. Instead, there were some clothes neatly placed in front of the door. She huffed as she reached out her hand to take them in then closed the door again.

She looked at the clothes he lent to her and pouted. Reluctantly, she wore his white shirt and dark gray knee-length shorts. She then glared at a white belt that came in one set with the borrowed clothes. He knew his pants would be too big for her. She clicked her tongue as she snatched it and wore it around her waist.

She hated it when that bastard acted so thoughtful.

After making sure the belt would keep the shorts in place, she turned to the mirror and looked at her reflection in it. She looked like a little boy wearing baggy clothes. They didn't look good on her at all, but at least she was wearing something more appropriate now… even though they were _his_…

She took a contact lens case from the corner of the sink then put on her black contacts. She blinked several times until her eyes felt more comfortable. Good thing she had kept the contacts in the bathroom, otherwise Chrollo would find out her real eye colors as soon as they met face to face again. Indeed he had seen her without her contacts on during that incident, but she was pretty sure he hadn't noticed it yet. His eyes must have been busy gazing at… er, other body parts of her.

Damn, that pervert.

Her face flushed again as she recalled that incident. How could she have been so reckless? Stupid! Stupid! She covered her face with both of her palms and peeked through the gaps of her fingers. She frowned at her reflection. The girl before her eyes looked very emotional and weak. She couldn't show this kind of face to her mortal enemy. She had to control her own feeling and regained her composure. She closed her eyes, breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. Once she put down her hands, the one she saw in the mirror was the calm and collected Kurapika she knew.

'Alright.' After making sure her face has returned to its normal color, she grabbed the knob and opened the door. She walked out of the bathroom, looked around and saw Chrollo was sitting on a chair, reading a book.

He looked up from the book as she got out from the bathroom. He closed the book, put it on the desk and stood up. "That surely takes some time…" He said as he walked toward a twin door wardrobe on the other side of the room.

She silently glared at the back of his head while reminding herself to keep her composure. She watched him taking some neatly folded clothes from the top of the stack then closed the wardrobe.

"Do you like black coffee?" He suddenly asked.

"Huh? Um, not really…" she answered hesitantly.

"Well then, you'll need to bear with it." He whipped his head toward the desk before disappearing into the bathroom.

She followed the direction he pointed and looked at the desk. There were two cups of coffee on it; one of them was full while the other was half-empty. Her eyebrows twitched. What had been that question for if he only had coffee from the beginning? Really, every single thing he did irritated her to no end.

The Kuruta massaged the bridge of her nose as she walked toward the chair and sat down. She took her coffee from the desk. She blew softly on the black liquid's surface then sipped it. The coffee was too bitter for her taste, but she forced herself to drink it. She hadn't eaten anything ever since she set her foot on Ryuuseigai. She needed to supply her calories intake even just a bit.

After finishing half of the coffee, she put down the cup on the table then gazed around. It was a small yet quite comfortable flat. The room was very tidy, to the point she couldn't complain about it. There wasn't much furniture inside the living space. There was only a single bed, a wooden wardrobe, a cabinet, a desk, a chair and bookshelves. There wasn't any decoration on the wall, only a mirror and a clock. It seemed that the owner either wanted to keep the room plain or didn't bother to decorate the room at all. On the desk beside her were the coffee cups, a book he had been reading before, a box covered with tea cloth and a desk calendar. She looked closely at the last one.

_Seven years…_

If the calendar was correct, then today was a certain day in August, seven years ago. It meant there was still two year time before the the Kuruta clan massacre. The Spider must have been founded during that gap of time.

She changed the focus of her eyes and looked at the cloth covered box. Somehow it emitted an eerie aura and made her curious. What was hidden beneath the cloth? Why was it hidden? She raised her hand toward the suspicious-looking box, pinched a corner of the cloth and lifted it. The box was revealed to be a square, aquarium-like glass case. One third of it was filled with sand. There were some stones and dry branches in it. Among the branches was a translucent net made of silk-like threads. And in the middle of that net, or _web_ to be exact, there was a black creature with many legs sprouting from its body.

"!"

Kurapika suppressed her scream as she tossed the cloth into the air. She hurriedly got up and jumped back, knocking down the chair in the process. Her eyes fixed on the black creature, _the spider_, and stared at it in horror.

"You're afraid of spider, huh?" said a voice behind her. She didn't even need to turn around to confirm the owner of that baritone voice. There were only two of them in there. Besides, she was starting to get used to his tendency to keep on Zetsu state all off the time.

"I'm not afraid of it," she stated firmly as she bent down to pick up the cloth and got the chair back to its standing position. "I was just _a little_ surprised."

"Hmm, is that so?" He walked toward the glass box and opened it. He inserted his right hand and gently took the spider out of its container. He shoved it to the blonde, who took a step back right away.

"Keep it away from me!" she shouted.

"See? You're indeed afraid of spider." He shoved the spider in his hand further toward her. The mischievous smirked formed on his face reminded her of nasty boys who liked to pull a prank on girls.

"I just… It just so damn disgusting!" she said, still denying the fact that she had arachnophobia.

"Really?" He finally pulled his arm back then looked at the spider on his palm. "I personally think it's beautiful."

Kurapika gave him are-you-kidding-me look. Had he just called that thing beautiful? Were her ears deceiving her? Just which part of it can be considered as _beautiful_? Was it its black, furry body? Was it the head? Was it the long legs?

Speaking of the limbs…

That spider's limbs looked strange. It was like it had more than four pairs of legs.

"The limbs…" she muttered.

"Did you notice?" he raised the spider, causing the arachnophobic girl to involuntary cringe and arch her body backward. Now that she had a better view of it, she could see that the spider actually had twelve legs. Twelve legged spider… It was just like the Phantom Troupe's symbol.

"In a very rare case, a spider hatches with more than eight legs. It can be ten or even twelve." He paused for a while before continuing with a question. "What do you think is the cause of this phenomenon?"

"Isn't it because of genetic disorder?" she replied.

"Most people say so. Well, it's not entirely wrong, however…" He said as hee leaned against the desk.

"'_However_'?"

"If you change your perspective, you'll be able to see a meaning behind it. The spider didn't get twelve legs solely by an error. There must be a reason why it grew twelve legs. What if it is actually trying to adapt to the change of its surroundings? It undergoes an evolution so that it can keep on living. Changes and even sacrifices are necessary for the sake of survival."

After finishing his speech, Chrollo returned his spider-pet into its container. He closed the container and put the tea cloth over it. He looked at the blonde girl, who was still deep in her thought, probably thinking over his words.

_A spider would do anything so that it would continue to live. This twelve-legged creature was a symbol of struggle and survival._

"Enough with the chitchat. Let's get going before the sun is high in the sky." He straightened his back.

"Huh? Where to?" She blinked.

"Shopping." His lips curved upward as he walked passed her and exited the room.

Kurapika stared dumbfounded at the white door he had just closed behind his back.

"WHAT?"

* * *

**Chrollo shared an insight on his concept of Spider… in my version. Tehe.**

**Nothing much happened here except some talks and… -uh- fanservices? For those who're still confused, Kurapika stayed in Chollo's room while the latter stayed elsewhere. (Don't get the wrong idea, ne. They didn't stay in the same room together. Kurapika would rather die than sleep in the same room with him XD)**

**I was actually planning to insert the shopping scenes in this chapter, but since this turned out to be long I decided to save those scenes for the next chapter. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter! Please spare a minute or two to drop your comment in the review box below.**

**Thank you for your time and see you :)**


End file.
